Subscribe in a readerBookstore Shelving
May 26th, 2008 | By Bruce K. Hollingdrake | Category: Brick and Mortar ThoughtsBookstore Shelving
Bookstore shelving can be one of the more difficult decisions for a new shop owner to make. The look and feel of his shop will obviously be affected quite a bit as will his budget. Our bookstore has been open for three and a half years now, long enough to see how our shelving choice has stood up. For the reasons mention above we decided to skip custom bookstore shelving and go with Ikea. The look of their black-brown veneer shleving has been commented on by a majority of our visitors all in the positive.
We also need to consider the practicality of building or having somebody build your shelves. All the cutting, measuring (twice of course!) and especially staining and finishing is quite time consuming. If you are paying a contractor to do this it will get expensive fast.You will also most likely be forced to keep the shelves where they are. What I really like about the Ikea shelves is that not only were they a breeze to construct, taking about ten minutes per unit, but if you ever decide to modify the layout of the shop you can easily move the shelves around. We have actually done this three times already.
Calculating the cost of your bookstore shelving is simple enough, just calculate the wall space, or floor space that you need to cover, jump onto the Ikea web site to see the sizes they offer and do some simple math. You will quickly see what your costs will be. Now find a contractor and ask for an estimate. Keep in mind the overruns in cost (often over 25%), add in the dust/noise/inconvenience/smell of varnish and time chewed up and you should have a fairly clear view of which choice to make.
One other quick word about color choice if you decide to go with the Ikea shleves. We chose the black-brown option and are quite happy with it. You would think that a darker color may not be the best choice for hiding dust but it works fine. The shelves are easy to maintain and the dust that does accumulate does not really show.
Another bonus with this bookstore shelving system is that all but the middle shelf are replaceable. If you have some shelves that become bowed over time it’s very easy to buy a replacement shelf. This has not happened to us yet.
So to finalize we went with Ikea’s Billy system, black-brown veneer finish for our bookstore shelving and are quite happy with the results.
Bruce:
I’m opening a B & M shop in October in Tacoma, WA. Approximately 1200 sq feet. I have to say, I had never thought about this option until reading your post, but find it to be highly attractive, as I won’t have to play carpenter, sander, stainer etc. Can you give me a rough estimate of the size of your store, how high your shelves go and what the approx cost was? Also, I’d love to see any photos of the the shelves in your store if you could email me a few.
Thanks,
Tim Lohraff
Seattle, WA
Why did you choose the IKEA over a traditional fixture vendor such as Franklin Fixtures ? I am opening a new store on South Padre Island, TX and am currently in the middle of construction of the building which will combine my residence and the shop. I believe my builder may be able to build-in the floor to ceiling shelves located against the walls, but I am looking for freestanding units. It will be nice to have another option to consider. So many choices need to be made and at time it seems overwhelming. I am looking for ideas, suggestions, and advice anywhere I can find it so I particularly like this site. / Joni
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